


You're Crashing, But You're No Wave

by Semper_Sehun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, BFF KaiSoo, Eventual Romance, Ex lovers meeting again, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Summer Vacation, basically a tourist guide to Okinawa, side ChanSoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-08-19 19:55:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20215384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semper_Sehun/pseuds/Semper_Sehun
Summary: There are many ways Jongin imagines himself taking his much-needed vacation in sunny Okinawa. None of them include boarding the same flight as his ex-boyfriend, or bumping into him in the same places in his itinerary. Jongin thought he'd already moved on from Sehun; either their reunion is a cruel prank by fate, or a chance to reacquaint themselves with each other - and perhaps, rekindle feelingst that might not have really gone away.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cosmicruin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicruin/gifts).

> Hello dear readers, dear prompter!  
I joined this fic fest as a pinch hitter, that means I wrote the prompt someone dropped so a writer could receive their fic in an exchange.  
To the prompter:  
Thank you for giving me the option to post the fic in chapters! I'll upload one each day. I really liked all your prompts, but I ended choosing the Okinawa one. While I have never visitied Okinawa or Japan myself, I did a lot of research to create a realistic setting for the fic. I hope it is somewhat accurate. There's a bit of angst in the beginning of the fic but I promise it'll get better, I really tried to stick to your likes and dislikes! Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this fic!  
Special thanks go out to Chris who betaed this fic for me! <3 <3  
To everyone else, I hope you'll like the fic too. Have fun while reading! <3

Fate.

A pretty small word with a pretty big meaning.

Jongin had never believed in fate. Too much work, too much effort had been poured into everything that he’d achieved in life. Every single dance routine, every single paper he’d typed down at night to meet the deadlines on time had required hard work, sleepless nights and drops of sweat, may it be from exertion or from anxiety.

Nothing had ever come to him because it was supposed to happen. Everything had happened because Jongin had worked hard for it, because he’d given 100% of his all to achieve his goals.

And not a single thing had happened because of fate. Yet, everything that was happening right now was trying to make Jongin believe that maybe fate wasn’t such an impossible concept.

However, he didn’t allow himself to think that just yet.

🏖🏖🏖

When his eyes fell on the man, Jongin was quite positive he’d just seen a ghost.

It wasn’t impossible, but the possibility of seeing him here, at the gate to his flight to Okinawa where he was supposed to spend his two weeks of much needed holidays, Jongin had expected everything but to spot his ex-boyfriend who had broken up with him five years ago. Even the sight of a plane crash seemed more likely than spotting Sehun just 50 metres away from him, and maybe, the plane crash wasn’t the less inviting of the two.

_ Sehun. _

The name tasted so familiar, yet foreign on his tongue. In the last 5 years, the times he’d thought about Sehun had exponentially decreased. Even now, he avoided letting his thoughts drift back to the times where he used to fall asleep with Sehun’s fingers carding through his hair, their legs entangled and breaths mingling.

He was totally over Oh Sehun. Totally.

Like a magnet, Jongin’s eyes kept returning to the man that he used to be so close with. He wondered how he hadn’t noticed him before, how they hadn’t crossed paths during check-in or security. Now, it was almost as if he couldn’t look away anymore. Jongin thought of that stupid moth meme, and frowned at the thought of comparing himself to a moth being drawn to light, cause in that metaphor, Sehun was the light and that was the more desirable position of the two for sure.

The five years had done Sehun well. When they’d broken up, at the young age of 22, Sehun had barely begun to stop looking like the cute boy he used to be when they met at the age of 17. Soft lines, even softer eyes and a pair of small but plump lips had drawn Jongin in, had taken his heart by storm and had dropped him just as quickly.

Now, Sehun looked more mature. Soft lines had turned into harder ones, though not harsh at all. Just from where he was sitting, he could already tell that one thing hadn’t changed about Sehun though: His impeccable posture.

The last time Jongin had seen him, Sehun had just dyed his hair blonde and he’d shaved the sides. It had been a bold step, but Jongin had loved it and he’d sat beside him when Luhan; the Chinese exchange student that had been Sehun’s roommate at college, had shaved his hair at the sides, watching as the freshly dyed blonde strands fell to the ground, accompanied by the sound of the merciless buzzing.

The haircut Sehun was sporting was short, shorter than Jongin had ever seen on him. It looked good, accentuating his sharp facial features with the perfectly shaped nose and the strong jaw, and none of the strands were covering his expressive eyebrows like they always used to. It was a more mature look, something that he hadn’t connected to Sehun but now made him wonder why he hadn’t thought of it before. It looked right on him, like he felt good in his own skin, and it made Jongin wonder if he exuded the same energy, too.

The call for boarding pulled him out of his thoughts.

Standing up, he almost naturally headed for the opposite direction from Sehun, belatedly realizing that he’d gotten up way too early. Only overly anxious middle-aged couples and seniors were getting up already to queue, and everyone with a right mind, Sehun included, had stayed seated with the knowledge that actual boarding would take a few minutes longer still.

From his new spot in the queue, Jongin had an even better view at Sehun. It wasn’t intended, but his new position allowed him to identify the object Sehun had been looking at intently the whole time.

Deeply absorbed in his phone – some things never change, Jongin thought – Sehun seemingly still hadn’t noticed him yet. The moment the other looked up from the device though, it was Jongin who instantly averted his eyes, just in time to catch a plane taking off behind the large glass front.

🏖🏖🏖

Thankfully, boarding went off without a hitch, and that also included no encounters with Sehun because Jongin wasn’t sure if he was quite ready for that yet. However, his luck seemed to run out the moment he’d planted his ass onto the seat, because just a minute later, a rather familiar voice reached his ears.

“Excuse me, could you please let me move past? I have the window seat.”

Looking up, Jongin’s eyes met dark, intense ones. The second Sehun realized who he had been talking to, his eyes widened, first in recognition, then in surprise.

“Jongin. Wow. I didn’t expect to see you here.” The laughter that bubbled up in Sehun’s throat was awkward but genuine. “Um. This must be fate, right? I guess we’re seated next to each other for the flight.”

_ No, most definitely not fate. Yes, certainly a disaster. _

“Sehun. I didn’t expect to see you here. I didn’t even see you at the gate earlier…”  _ Smooth lie right there, Jongin.  _ “Sure, I’ll let you past me.” Getting up, Jongin decided to get out of the row of seats because he didn’t feel like having Sehun squishing himself past him and inducing body contact. Like this, he realized that the other must have grown some more because he was definitely taller than Jongin remembered.

Trying not to stare too obviously, Jongin watched as Sehun slid into the seat next to him before he got seated again. Just when Sehun looked like he was about to strike up a conversation again, Jongin was pulled into a conversation with the stewardess asking him where he’d stored his hand luggage.

🏖🏖🏖

"So, how have you been?"

The second the stewardess had left them to tend to another row of seats, Sehun was looking at Jongin again, a glint of curiosity in his eyes. Like this, he didn’t look much older than when Jongin had last seen him.

"Well, nice to see you too." Jongin muttered. By searching for the seatbelt, he effectively avoided making eye contact with Sehun, yet he could hear the other’s chuckle in his words when he spoke up.

"Sorry, I guess I forgot about formalities." Even though he didn’t see it, Jongin could vividly picture Sehun’s eyes roll. "Good evening, Mr. Kim, I haven't seen you in years. May I ask how you've been doing?"

Somehow, the mocking tone in the other’s voice made Jongin feel even more annoyed. Looking up, he found Sehun still staring at him.

"Cut the crap, Sehun." Foregoing all formalities, Jongin decided to just say what he felt like saying. It probably wasn’t the kindest or most welcoming way, but he couldn’t bring himself to muster up more kindness.

Sehun, however, didn’t seem offended at all. Instead, he sounded almost  _ impressed _ . "Now, that's the Jongin I know."

"What are you doing on a plane to Okinawa?" Completely ignoring Sehun’s remark, Jongin decided that it was time to ask the important questions.

"I don't know, hijacking it? What do you think?" With a soft giggle, Sehun leaned back in his seat. "Also, you didn't answer my question, so you have no right to ask any of your own."

This time it was Jongin’s turn to roll his eyes. "I've been fine. So, what are you doing here?"

"So hostile." To anybody else, the teasing lilt in Sehun’s words would have sounded seductive. To Jongin though, it felt too overbearing. "I'm on vacation. What about you?"

"Me too." Jongin grumbled. He could’ve guessed as much.

"Well, who would've guessed we'd meet like this again? How long has it been? Five years?" It was almost as if Sehun didn’t care about Jongin’s obviously souring mood. "You could say it's fate."

"I don't believe in fate."

"You also said you didn't believe in God and we both know how you moaned out 'oh my god' when we used to-"

"Shut up, what are you thinking? Everyone could hear you." With a face the colour of a tomato, Jongin was ready to physically shut Sehun up if he didn’t stop talking.

"80% of the people on this plane are Japanese. Relax, Jongin. You look awfully tense for going on vacation." Laughter bubbled up in Sehun’s throat, light-hearted and relaxed. It made Jongin wonder if he was really the only one of the two that didn’t take their meeting so lightly.

"Well, what do you think is the reason I'm in need of vacation?"

"Fair enough." Sehun admitted. "Are you on your own? Or..."

Looking around in demonstration before finally focusing on Sehun again, Jongin raised a brow. "Do you see anyone else here that's saving me from your poor attempt at a conversation?"

"No but-"

God must have heard his silent prayers, because before Sehun could finish his sentence, a new stewardess turned up, pointing at Sehun’s still unfastened seat belt.

"Sir, please fasten your seat belt, we're about to take off."

After that, Sehun didn’t attempt to strike up a conversation again until they were already high up in the sky.

🏖🏖🏖

"So, how's your mom? And your dad?"

The stewardess had just left after serving them coffee. Jongin had caught the surprised look on Sehun’s face when he’d ordered, and it only served to remind him of his despise for coffee back during college. Only in his final year, had he discovered that the advantages of caffeine induced mornings were the only things able to keep him awake in 8am lectures while simultaneously having to stress about grades, papers and bills.

"My mom's fine, my dad died two years ago." His voice sounded almost monotonous, but Jongin was in no way feeling unaffected by this. Even though it had been more than two years already, he still missed his father dearly every single day.

Upon hearing the news, Sehun immediately looked extremely sorry for asking. Jongin didn’t doubt that the other was genuinely shocked, he had met Jongin’s parents several times after all and they’d spent quite a bit of time together back when they’d been dating.

"Oh god, I'm sorry Jongin. My condolences to you and your family. I know how much-" Sehun started, but once again, Jongin had had enough of this conversation.

"I think I'd like to try and nap a little now..." He mumbled, turning his head towards the opposite direction. The coffee in front of him was no longer steaming, but Jongin had forgotten it already.

For the rest of the flight, Sehun didn’t attempt to chat him up again which Jongin was grateful for. He knew that he was acting like a dick and that Sehun only wanted to make conversation, but Jongin somehow couldn’t shake off the gut-clenching feeling he got whenever he caught a glimpse of him. After a hurried ‘goodbye’ when they’d departed the plane, Jongin only saw Sehun again during baggage claiming and then he disappeared out of his line of sight completely.

Now, Jongin thought, his much-needed vacation could finally begin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funnily enough, I'm on vacation at the moment too, so this fic kind of suited my current situation (I already wrote it during vacation, so I hope I got some of the vacay vibes right). Anyways, I hope you'll like the new chapter! <3

It had been half a year already since Jongin had booked the hotel. At the time, he’d been sitting at home, slurping on a bottle of chocolate flavoured protein drink after a good work-out session. The decision to book a vacation hadn’t been a sudden one. For ages, the thought had kept re-appearing but he just hadn’t had the time yet. Now, he had finally established his spot in the dance sector of the entertainment company and he could start thinking about taking a break.

Jongin was a hard-working person. It hadn’t been easy, but with a lot of sweat, not too few tears and even some blood, he’d managed to make a name for himself in the franchise. The dream of becoming a dancer had always been in the back of his mind. He couldn’t even remember when it had begun, it had just always been there. After finishing his studies, he’d joined a popular studio. Soon enough, he had stepped up from just dancing along to choreographies to also making his own ones. It hadn’t taken much time, and the public had fallen in love with his dance style, publicized on the studio’s YouTube channel for everyone to see.

Nowadays, there was always a demand for Jongin. Whether it was for a music show, a video, or even a concert. Jongin had been the back-up dancer and choreographer for the hottest idols at the time. Everyone in the scene knew him, and everyone he worked with was more than pleased with his work. To put it short, Jongin was always busy.

That was the main reason why he hadn’t gone on a vacation in ages. Even now, his schedule was tight, a new class here and there, a concert tour starting at the end of the month – Jongin simply didn’t have the time to slack off. Now, however, he knew that he needed to  _ take _ the time for himself.

Therefore, Jongin was now sitting in front of his laptop, staring at the sheer number of possibilities that had opened up once he’d clicked on the travel agency website.

At first, he hadn’t even known where to go to. Scrolling through the offers, everything had sounded quite appealing. He’d opened a tab with a trip to America and another one with a hotel in Paris. But in the end, the picture of a beautiful island with green fields and pretty beaches had caught his eye.

_ Alright then _ , Jongin thought to himself,  _ Japan it is _ .

🏖🏖🏖

The hotel Jongin had decided on was the ANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort. The name was rather off-putting in his opinion, but the pictures had looked stunning. The large building complex wasn’t particularly attractive, but it was the area where it was located that had drawn Jongin in. Almost in the middle of the island of Okinawa, the Beach Resort was located on something that Jongin could only describe as a small peninsula. The several-stories building was surrounded not only by large areas of greenery but also the ocean. Turquoise water and white beaches were only a short walk away from the pool that had a pretty floral pattern built out of tiles that you could only see when you looked from a distance.

Snorkling, diving, tennis courts, even mini-golfing – the resort had everything to offer. Even guided hikes were offered, but Jongin wanted to maintain that last little speck of autonomy to plan his own trips. Yet, it was nice to have an all-inclusive trip to an amazing hotel. Whenever he pleased, he could get a massage or a drink in the club lounge, take a walk around the small lagoons or just relax on one of the hundreds of loungers littering the tiled areas surrounding the resort.

Already from the window in the taxi that he’d taken to the resort from the airport, Jongin had known that choosing this resort had been the right decision.

🏖🏖🏖

The hotel lobby was kept in calm tones of browns and beige. Their aim was to soothe and welcome the customer after his stressful travel. The soft lighting, warm and inviting created a pretty atmosphere. Paintings and sculptures in a similar colour scheme completed the looks of the lobby, making it look like it had jumped right out of a magazine for interior design.

All the effort to look inviting vanished the moment when Jongin realized who was standing at the counter of the lobby, just receiving his key-card for his room.

🏖🏖🏖

"What a coincidence. Seems like we're in the same hotel resort too."

Jongin had not yet recovered from his shock of spotting Sehun in the same hotel he was also going to stay at. For a second, he wondered if it was possible to cancel the reservation.

"Yeah, looks like it." Jongin managed to get out. It still hadn’t really sunk in that this was reality, and that Sehun was standing right in front of him, a big-ass suitcase in one hand the key card on the other.

Sehun had spotted Jongin the moment Jongin had been called by one of the employees to move forward to check in. It really shouldn’t have surprised him, but Jongin was still a little dazzled when Sehun was still in the lobby, casually standing there like waiting for Jongin to finish checking-in was the most normal thing he could be doing right then.

"Maybe we're even on the same floor, too. That'd be hilarious." Sehun either didn’t seem to notice Jongin’s lack of enthusiasm or he simply didn’t care. "I'm on the 5th floor."

Thank god, at least he didn’t have to fear bumping into him whenever he left his room. "6th."

"Oh. I see." Sehun looked almost disappointed.

As if Sehun was only now realizing that Jongin really had no interest in chatting with him, the other’s expression changed to one of slight awkwardness. It didn’t look as good on him as the smile he’d been sporting earlier, as much as Jongin hated to admit it.

Stepping back, Sehun glanced at his suitcase and then Jongin again, clearly searching for something to say. Who even needed a huge suitcase like that for a vacation that didn’t last much longer than a week? It was totally unnecessary, Jongin concluded.  _ Stupid Sehun. _

To his advantage, Sehun couldn’t hear Jongin’s internal monologue. Instead, he sent him another quick smile. "I guess I'll see you around then. Good night then, Jongin." Tightening his grip on his suitcase, he nodded goodbye. "It was nice to see you again."

The other man was already a few steps away when Jongin couldn’t stop himself.

"You got a pretty large suitcase for a vacation to Okinawa. How long are you planning to stay?"

_ Stupid. You’re fucking stupid, Kim Jongin. He was about to leave, why did you do that? _

"Ah?" Having come to a stop, the smile was back on Sehun’s lips, although it was a little more careful than before. "Oh, I came directly from China. I had a job there, so I had to pack for that in addition to the stuff I needed for my vacation."

At the mention of China, Jongin felt confused. On one hand, he wanted to know what exactly Sehun did in China and in what way it was work-related, but on the other hand, he didn’t want to give away that this genuinely interested him. In the end, the latter succeeded and Jongin decided not to ask.

"I see. Sorry, I didn't mean to stop you from leaving."

"It's fine. For you, I'd make time any day."

The glint in Sehun’s eyes made him want to simultaneously punch him in his beautiful face and curl up in a ball.

"You're a crawler." Jongin rolled his eyes.

A soft laugh escaped Sehun.

"There was a time where you didn't seem to mind." He grinned. "Good night, Jongin. This time for real."

🏖🏖🏖

Thankfully, the next day Jongin didn’t bump into Sehun during breakfast like he had almost expected to happen. However, his luck didn’t last too long.

For his day activity to explore the island a little for the first time, Jongin had taken a bus to the Hiji waterfall which was a one-hour ride away from the hotel. Because he had booked a three day trip to another island starting tomorrow, Jongin had decided to only pick up a rent car after the short trip since he didn’t feel like paying the insanely high fees for three days which he wouldn’t even get to spend on the main island.

Apparently, Sehun had had the same idea to visit the popular waterfall with its beautiful hiking trails too though. In the bus, Jongin hadn’t spotted him but it was highly likely that Sehun had already taken the one that had departed two hours earlier while Jongin had taken his time during breakfast and had explored the hotel a little. His figure in front of him at the waterfall was unmistakable though, and Jongin wondered what he’d done to deserve this treatment.

The thing was, Okinawa wasn’t even  _ that _ small. With an area of roughly 1200 square kilometres, Okinawa Honto was by far the largest island of the numerous ones making up the Okinawa prefecture. Although the main island was a tourist hotspot, the island had still kept it’s rustic touch. Most of the island was covered by forests, creating an inviting and calming atmosphere wherever you went.

At least, he’d been able to enjoy his hike to the waterfall on his own before he bumped into Sehun. The whole duration of the walk, it was approximately a 40-minute walk with nice trails but also quite a few steps, Jongin had fallen in love with the flora and fauna of the Japanese island. The green of the trees seemed deeper, everything was covered in a light sheen of water as it had rained in the morning. Still, it was warm, hot even, the air humid in the summer months.

The walk over the wooden suspension bridge had Jongin in awe. The bridge, covering a small valley filled with trees and other plants 17 metres below the bridge, was one of the highlights of the trail, that was for sure.

The waterfall itself at the end of the trail wasn’t insanely huge or spectacular. Still, Jongin felt drawn in by the image in front of him. Nature had always fascinated him, and while there were many beautiful things created by mankind, he strongly believed that no one could ever recreate the beauty that was crafted by the hands of nature.

Just when Jongin stopped to admire the waterfall, 26 metres in height, a very familiar head walked into his line of sight to take a picture of the view Jongin had been attempting to enjoy without getting interrupted.

How on earth was it possible to bump into Oh Sehun wherever he went? Life just wasn’t fair.

Retreating a little, he hoped to slip to the other side of the waterfall unnoticed. It wouldn’t be Sehun though if he didn’t have a weird sense to notice Jongin wherever he was, even if he was trying to not be noticed.

To his surprise though, all Sehun did was send him a short smile, a flicker of surprise in his eyes upon spotting Jongin, but otherwise, he left him alone.

That was, until Jongin was already on his way back and almost at the height of the suspension bridge again.

🏖🏖🏖

"So, how have you really been? I kept thinking about what you said about your father and I just. I'm so sorry about it. I knew you were very close so it must have been hard."

The familiar voice came from directly behind him, and Jongin flinched. His heart pounded in his chest, and although it was mostly from surprise, Jongin couldn’t help but wonder if it was the deep tone of the other’s voice that made his pulse quicken, too.

This time, Jongin didn’t feel like arguing. It was almost as if some kind of exhaustion had taken over, something that made it hard to have the usual anger well up like the last few times he’d spotted Sehun.

"It was hard, yeah. In the beginning we were really struggling. I still miss him, but it's gotten better."

Sehun nodded. He’d caught up to him, now walking beside him and not a few steps behind. "Fair enough. So how have you really been? I don't want this to be weird, I'm just genuinely interested. We haven't talked in years and a lot of things have happened in the time we didn’t see each other. I'm curious."

He did sound genuine, Jongin thought. Maybe, he was being too harsh on him.

From what he knew, Sehun was a kind-hearted person. Obviously, he couldn’t know how the other had developed in the past few years, what kind of person he had become, but Jongin somehow didn’t believe that Sehun had become a person much different than the one he used to know, the one he used to fall in love with. Yes, they’d had issues, but they’d also had many things that connected them. Warm-hearted was the word he would have used to describe Sehun back then, so now when the other sent him an open smile, he knew that he was genuinely interested in what Jongin had to say.

Maybe, he should stop giving him a hard time.

"Well, what do you wanna know?"

"Everything." Sehun grinned, obviously delighted that Jongin didn’t push him away once again like he used to before. "I'm kidding." He quickly added when he saw the beginnings of an eye roll on Jongin’s part. "Let's start here: what's your job situation right now?"

Now, that wasn’t a question Jongin had expected Sehun to ask. It was so plain, but when he thought about it, he realized that his occupation was a large part of him, a large part of what made him himself.

"I'm a dance instructor and I dance for idols and singers as a background dancer and create their choreographies."

To say that Sehun looked surprised was an understatement. In fact, he looked shocked, a mixture of admiration and disbelief that Jongin kind of felt smug about was visible in Sehun’s eyes.

"Fuck, you really made it. I think Baekhyun mentioned something along those lines now that you mention it but... wow. Congratulations, dude."

Baekhyun. One of his friends. He’d never mentioned Sehun after the two had broken up, but Jongin also hadn’t asked. Baekhyun had been well aware that the break-up hadn’t come easy for Jongin, so he didn’t blame him for never mentioning anything about his ex. On the other hand, he was a little annoyed that Baekhyun had apparently chatted about him with Sehun. The thought didn’t sit well with him.

"Thank you." Jongin managed to keep cool even though he was on the brink of asking what else Baekhyun had disclosed to him. Instead, he opted for the easier way. "What's your occupation then? You said you were coming from China because of work, why's that?"

Back when they’d still talked, Sehun had been studying economics as his major, but he’d never really enjoyed it. He’d known about the other toying with the thought of changing majors, so he wondered if Sehun had stuck with it in the end or not.

"Oh, so you actually paid attention to what I said." They had reached the middle of the bridge and Sehun stepped close to the handrail, looking down into the green depth. "I work as a translator for a Chinese-Korean company. I often attend meetings to help translate everything or translate important documents." He explained, looking up to glance at Jongin.

So, he had changed his major after all. "Oh, wow. Your Chinese must have really improved then."

A tiny chuckle escaped Sehun. "Yeah, I'm a little bit better than the original "xie xie" and "nihao" by now. Now, I can also say 'wo ai ni'!" He explained with a grin. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." Sehun quickly added even though Jongin wasn’t laughing. "But yeah, I changed Chinese from being my minor to my major because I realized it was something that I actually enjoyed doing."

Now that was something Jongin could relate to.

"I'm glad you figured something out for you that works well with what you enjoy doing."

"Yeah, I actually lived in China for about three years but then me and my ex broke up so I moved back to Korea."

"Oh, I see." Jongin side-eyed Sehun. They’d picked up walking again, the last few steps on the bridge separating them from the safe ground. All of a sudden, Jongin couldn’t wait to get off the bridge.

"Yeah. It wasn't a nice break-up." This time, Sehun wasn’t looking at him but at the way ahead of them instead. It almost felt like he regretted even bringing up that topic, it most likely hadn’t even been intentional. Jongin wished he hadn’t brought it up either.

"Oh, I guess you're experienced with that by now." Before he could stop himself though, the words had slipped out.

Immediately, Sehun stopped walking. It looked like he was going to reach out for Jongin, for his hand, his shoulder, he didn’t know, because before Sehun could grab a hold of him, Jongin took a step back, another tourist almost bumping into him.

"Look, Jongin-" Sehun started but Jongin cut him off.

"Save it, it's cool. We're cool."

"We're obviously not cool when you're-"

Again, Jongin interrupted him. "We're cool." He murmured, starting to walk again. "It's getting late, I think we should head back or we’ll miss the bus to the hotel."

🏖🏖🏖

The rest of the hike was spent in uncomfortable silence. At some point, Sehun had received a phone call which he had to take, so he had fallen back a little to talk in private while Jongin had continued his way to the bus on his own. When Sehun had arrived at the bus, the seat next to Jongin had been taken already.

🏖🏖🏖

"I'm starving. What do you think about having dinner together?"

Before Jongin had been able to escape to his hotel room, Sehun had caught a hold of him in the hotel lobby. The expression in his eyes was apologetic, and if Jongin wasn’t mistaken, also a little hopeful.

"Dinner? Together?"

Sehun nodded. "Yeah. To reminisce in old times some more. It's awkward to sit alone during the buffet."

So that was where Sehun was coming from.  _ I see, _ Jongin thought, definitely not feeling bitter  _ at all. _

"Sorry, I think I'll pass." Pulling out his key card, Jongin walked right past him towards the elevator.

He didn’t see the sad look in Sehun’s eyes as he watched Jongin disappear into the elevator.

"I see. Well, maybe next time. It was good talking to you again some more, Jongin. I'll see you around."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jongin is a little salty still... like the ocean ( I know I'm not funny, I'm sorry). Either way, I would love to hear your thoughts about the chapter. Please leave Kudos and comments if you liked it, it would mean a lot to me! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is only halfway beta'ed so if there are any mistakes, I'll correct them afterwards. Since I'm on vacation, it's hard to time uploading and my personal activies but I'm trying to be on schedule! <3

Connected to the main island Okinawa Honto, Miyagi Island was an easily reachable destination while also offering many attractive sights and activities. While booking his vacation, Jongin had stumbled upon the offer for a three day trip to the smaller island, including two hotel nights at another high-end resort as well as several activities that were already planned out and organized by the tourist agency. Normally, Jongin wasn’t exactly a fan of such planned trips. This time, however, the thought of just having to follow a group while simultaneously getting to see all important areas of the small island didn’t sound so bad to him, so without thinking too much, Jongin had booked the service.

The island, not bigger than 5.54 square kilometres was connected with two even smaller islands, Ikei Island and Hamahiga Island. From what he’d read in the program for the trip, there were trips scheduled to both, too.

The station where the bus would pick him up wasn’t far from the Beach Resort. Together with his suitcase and a handful more people from his hotel, Jongin was standing at the meeting point, waiting for the bus to pick them up. It was 10 to 8, and the bus was about to arrive at exactly 8. Even though Jongin generally wasn’t a fan of getting up early, he had felt energized when he’d climbed out of his bed early this morning with the thought of the trip in mind.

He looked at his watch again. 7 minutes to 8. Time was moving slowly. Maybe he could nap on the bus ride again. He should’ve had another cup of coffee this morning. His eyes were starting to feel droopy. It seemed as if all the energy from earlier had been washed away in just a few minutes time.

Suddenly, a hand wrapped around Jongin’s shoulders, pulling him out of the trance he’d fallen into.

Sure enough, when he turned his head it was Sehun who had stepped next to him, looking way too awake and refreshed for 8am in the morning.

"Don't tell me you booked this trip too." Was the first thing Jongin said. This couldn’t be true. This wasn’t fate, this was complete and utter  _ bullshit _ .

“Well good morning to you too.” Sehun even had the audacity to grin. "I guess we still have the same taste in recreational activities. Are you here for the 3-day-trip to Miyagi Island?"

Jongin definitely should’ve gone for that second cup of coffee that morning. He could feel a headache building up.

"I wish I wasn't."

The pout on Sehun’s lips was  _ definitely not _ adorable. "Wow, ever so charming. I don't remember you being so salty.”

"Well, and I don't remember you being so..." Handsome with short hair, Jongin thinks.

"Yeah?"

Shit, he hadn’t finished that sentence but now he couldn’t think of anything witty to say either.

"Nevermind." Jongin ended up muttering, which was lame, yes, but it was 8am and he suddenly wished he could bury himself in his comfortable 5 star hotel bed again and not do this.

Sehun, ever so chatty, didn’t seem to mind Jongin squinting at him with annoyed eyes.

"What are the odds though? We're on the same plane, the same hotel and now the same excursion? I can't believe it."

That summed up exactly what Jongin was thinking too. What were the odds?

"Is there a way to cancel the reservation?"

Sehun’s pout intensified. "Don't be so mean, Nini. When did you become so bitter?"

_ Nini _ . Nobody had called him like that in years.

The mention of the nickname felt like a punch to his gut. No, rather it felt like something inside of him had been ripped open and something was pouring out, making his gut feel awfully heavy. Whatever it was that was pouring out, Jongin wasn’t sure. Feelings, thoughts, any sort of emotion – whatever it was, it made him feel nauseous. In the distance, he could see the bus approaching. He wasn’t sure if the thought was consoling or made everything even worse.

"I'm not bitter. I'm just suddenly not sure anymore if I want to do the trip. There's enough to explore on the main island, isn't it?" He hated the way his voice sounded. Even though he managed to hide it well, a little of the hurt had sept through.

Sehun didn’t look as happy anymore either. "I guess so." He explained, slowly letting go of Jongin’s shoulder that the other hadn’t even realized Sehun was still holding.

The bus stopped in front of them. Jongin opened his mouth to say something again, but there was nothing he could think of to say so he closed it again. Before he could react, Sehun had sent him another smile and had headed to line up in the queue that had gathered at the door of the bus. For a second, Jongin stared back at the hotel behind him, a longing look his eyes. Then, he turned around again, taking in the bus in front of him in which Sehun had just disappeared through the door.

Whatever it was that made Sehun and him meet again and again, it certainly wasn’t fate. It was a stupid coincidence at most, but nothing more than that. Jongin huffed.

Of course, Jongin didn't cancel the trip. He just wasn’t sure yet if that had been the right decision in the end.

🏖🏖🏖

It definitely wasn’t fate that made Sehun end up having the room beside Jongin’s in their hotel for the next two nights. Definitely no fate included. Nope.

Sehun pretended to act surprised when he stepped onto the balcony and spotted Jongin lounging on his chair, halfway to dozing off. They had about an hour left until their first activity, a trip to one of the two smaller islands.

During the bus ride, Sehun had left him alone. Even during check-in, he hadn’t approached him. However, now that he had spotted him on the neighbouring balcony, it seemed like Sehun couldn’t stop himself from conversing.

"Did you know that during the Japanese Ryuku era, Kumejima was a part of the trade routes between the Ryuku kingdom and China? That's why you can see many remains from mainland China in the museums here. Stuff like porcelain, gold, jewelry... You name it."

At least he didn’t mention the impossible chances of them staying in rooms next to each other, which was a fact that Jongin would rather ignore.

"Since when are you interested in history?" Jongin blinked his eyes open only to squeeze them shut again, the strong sun blinding him.

"I always enjoyed reading up on places that I visit." Sehun shrugged. He was leaning against the railing, a pair of sunglasses perched high on his nose. Jongin wondered if they were designer. He’d already noticed that whenever he’d met Sehun by accident during the trip, the other was dressed impeccably well. His job must have come with a rather large salary, Jongin assumed.

"The Okinawa islands have an interesting history." Sehun’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and belatedly, Jongin realized that to Sehun it must have looked like he’d been staring at him. Which he had been. But that was beside the point.

"I know." Was everything Jongin replied, his eyes fluttering shut again. There was no response from Sehun to that, and a minute later, he heard the balcony door fall shut.

🏖🏖🏖

An hour and a half later, they were once again on the bus. They’d just passed the bridge connecting Miyagijima with Ikeijima and Jongin was already looking forward to the time he could spend there. They passed cliffs and forests, the blue water of the ocean glistening in the sunlight when he looked out of the large bus window. He’d packed swimming trunks, there were supposed to be nice beaches there, so maybe he could finally swim a little.

There was only one group activity planned from the trip organizer, the rest of the time until they headed back to Miyagi the tourists could spend on their own, exploring the little island by themselves.

Their destination was the Nakabaru site. On such a small island, Jongin hadn’t expected to find anything this interesting, but the site displaying the remains of a 2000-year-old village had fascinated him after all. Alongside the remains of the old houses, or rather huts, there were also a few restored ones, allowing Jongin to grasp what the small settlement must have looked like all these centuries ago. The signs were in Japanese and English, and with a little effort, he managed to grasp most of the information as he scanned them, walking from site to site.

After the exploration of the ancient buildings, the group dispersed. The bus had dropped them off near a popular beach, so Jongin wasn’t surprised to spot Sehun trailing along with the others that were headed for the beach just like him. After paying the entrance fee, Jongin had learned that apparently it wasn’t uncommon on the Okinawa islands to pay entrance to beaches, he found a nice spot close to the water.

It wasn’t particularly windy, so the waves weren’t too bad. Shrugging off his shirt, Jongin quickly changed into his swimming trunks in an awkward struggle to keep a towel wrapped around his waist as he changed as to not flash the whole beach.

When he looked up from where he’d been focused on not losing his balance, Sehun walked right into his view in all of his half-naked glory.

If Jongin had thought that Sehun had had a nice body at the age of twenty, Sehun now had the perfect body. His proportions had always been spectacular, an incredibly slim waist coupled with his broad shoulders was what caught everyone’s attention.

Now, Sehun looked more muscular. He still was slim, and by far not extremely muscly, but there was more definition in his body than there used to be, even a hint of abs. Still, what really caught Jongin’s attention where the other’s legs and most importantly, his ass. The swimming trunks were considerably tight, and they clung to Sehun’s slim body prettily. When he changed directions a little, Jongin got a perfect side view of the gentle curve of his ass. It wasn’t huge, not at all, but it was the perfect size for Sehun’s body.

_ Fuck. So what if he thought Sehun was attractive?  _ It wasn’t a crime. He’d be stupid if he didn’t think he was. Still, the thoughts bugged him. Jongin watched as the subtle waves first engulfed Sehun’s toned calves, then his slim thighs, lastly his slim waist and broad shoulders until only his head was above the surface.

Before he could stare more, Jongin decided that it was time to dive into the waves, too. Maybe the water could wash away all the confusing thoughts that were tumbling through his mind and put him in ease. But for some reason, Jongin already knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.

🏖🏖🏖

When Sehun approached him again when they boarded the bus, Jongin didn’t send him away this time. The time at the beach had tired him out, the sun and the water leaving their traces on his body, in his hair. His lips tasted salty when he licked them, and it was the first time Jongin really realized that he was actually on vacation now. 

Jongin also didn’t reject Sehun when the other asked him to go out for dinner this time. Somehow, he didn’t have it in himself to reject him once again, so when they got back to the hotel, Jongin found himself at a table with Sehun.

The conversation flowed easily. Actually, it was almost scary how easy it felt to talk with Sehun. After all the time, he would’ve expected that there were more awkward silences, less topics to chat about. But it wasn’t like that at all, instead every new topic that came up was something they could talk endlessly about. It felt scary how much it reminded him of the times they used to spend together, and at the same time it felt oh so good too. Too good, Jongin realized in the back of his mind.

"It feels really good to talk to you again, Jongin. I missed you."

The waiter had just taken their plates of the main course away. Sehun ordered dessert, Jongin hadn’t. Now he wished he had though, only to slam it into Sehun’s handsome face though.

"You missed me?" Jongin asked in disbelief. His voice was quiet, but internally a storm of emotions he’d long thought to be buried had erupted. "You missed me?"

"Jongin-" Apparently, Sehun had instantly realized his mistake. However, Jongin didn’t give him the opportunity to fix it.

"It's pretty brave of you to say that, considering you were the one who broke up with me all of a sudden."

The calmness in Jongin’s voice had begun to dissipate, instead making place for the underlying anger bubbling under his calm demeanour.

The expression Sehun’s face was pained. "About that- maybe we should talk about this."

"Yes, maybe we should talk about why exactly you broke up with me for now reason at all. Or rather, without disclosing whatever reason you had."

All those years ago, Sehun had just left him. At least he’d had the guts to tell him in person, although that was the least he could have done, Jongin thought. But Sehun had never given him a proper reason, an explanation. For years, Jongin had wondered what exactly could’ve brought the break-up on them, searching for the faults in him day and day again.

"I know that was stupid. No, not stupid. It was horrible. I thought it was better this way but-" Sehun looked genuinely sorry, but in his rage, Jongin didn’t see it.

"Better this way?" His voice had grown louder. The people at the tables around them were starting to send them weird looks. "Are you kidding me? For months, I wondered what I'd done wrong. What I could have done so that you would break up with me and not tell me why. I really thought the mistake was on my side. But then I understood that it was you who was the problem."

It had taken him a long, long time to realize that whatever had motivated Sehun to break up with him, there had been no sense in searching for a reason within himself anymore. Even now, the uncertainty sometimes hurt though, apparently more than he’d liked to admit to himself, and it felt good to finally tell Sehun how much the other had fucked up. 

"I-"

Jongin didn’t give him time to intervene. "To be quite honest, I don't know why I'm sitting here with you right now. Good night, Sehun."

Taking some cash out of his purse, he slammed it on the table and turned around, leaving Sehun and numerous guests staring after him as he stomped towards the doors. He didn’t look around again, so he didn’t see Sehun wiping his eyes that were suspiciously wet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you think this will develop? Are you sorry for Sehun or do you think he deserved that? Thank you for reading! <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally tried all day yesterday to access internet to post this, but I couldn't. I even went to a bar specifically asking if they had wifi and then it didn't work!!!

The knock against Jongin’s door came as a surprise. Room service was pretty early, he thought, as he trudged towards the heavy door, ready to tell the cleaning lady that he wasn’t ready to leave the room just yet. He’d just stepped out of his shower, his body still glistening with wet droplets of liquid, a simple white towel wrapped around his waist. He didn’t feel very ashamed to open the door like this, the cleaning lady had probably seen worse people than him opening the door half naked.

However, it wasn’t the cleaning lady.

There, with a small bouquet of flowers – where the hell had he even bought that? – and a bag with what Jongin assumed to be breakfast, stood Sehun.

"Hey..." It was comically obvious how the other tried to keep his eyes at eye-level instead of ogling Jongin’s exposed body, but Jongin didn’t feel like laughing. 

"Hi..." He said, not sure what to expect. It was obvious that this was an attempt at an apology but Jongin wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear it just yet.

"Can I come in?" The tone in Sehun’s voice was hopeful, and Jongin sighed. He knew he’d already lost this.

"Okay..." He muttered, stepping aside. He hadn’t meant to just leave Sehun behind in the restaurant without hearing his side. He’d just kind of lost control over his emotions, and to be quite honest, it embarrassed him. It had been his chance to find out why Sehun had left him back then, and all he did was mess it up. He still was a little mad at Sehun though, but he had decided to give him another chance. Also, he couldn’t stand the pitiful look in his eyes. 

"I'm sorry for flipping out last night. I didn't-"

Immediately, Sehun shook his head.

"It's okay. I deserved that. After all, I treated you even worse back when we broke up." His voice was small. "About that... Will you let me explain now?"

"Okay." 

They had stepped into the room. Jongin gestured towards his bed so Sehun could sit down. The sheets were still ruffled, but none of them paid attention to it. A warm breeze came in from the open door of the balcony, making Jongin shiver. Only now he realized that he was pretty much naked, and suddenly he didn’t feel as comfortable anymore. Quickly, he wrapped himself in the bathrobe the hotel had provided.

When Jongin finally settled down on the chair opposite of the bed, Sehun began to talk.

"It wasn't your fault at all, Jongin. Back then… I was wondering if I was missing out on something. It was so stupid, because I had you and you were perfect, but still, I wondered if maybe I should try out something new too. We were each other's first with everything. At some point, I was sure we'd be each other's last too. But that scared me. Fuck, that thought was so stupid but at the time it really scared me." Sehun stopped for a moment. "So I broke up with you. Because I thought I might be missing out on something. But I realized I wasn't missing out on anything rather quickly, but I couldn't exactly return to you either after breaking your heart. So I kept up the facade."

In the end, it hadn’t been Jongin’s fault after all. Somehow, it didn’t feel as relieving as he thought it would. There was an emptiness where the anger had been just hours ago, and for now, he wasn’t sure how to fill it.

"You should've told me- we could've... We could've figured something out." Was the only thing he could say after a minute or two.

Sehun nodded. "I know. I was so stupid. I hate myself for doing this to you back then. But I can't change it anymore. All I can do now is to tell you the truth and apologize. I'm so sorry, Jongin. You deserved to find out the truth earlier, but I'm a coward I guess."

"I kinda wanna punch you in the face right now."

The dumbfounded expression on Sehun’s face changed into a genuinely sorry one.

"You can do it if you want."

"Nah." The sigh that escaped Jongin was drawn out. "It's too pretty for that."

If Sehun had looked dumbfounded earlier, he now looked shocked. "You still think I'm pretty?"

Jongin just shrugged.

"You look the same as back then, just more mature. It's not like you got ugly or something."

The carefulness in Sehun’s eyes was slowly starting to melt into the warm expression he was used to from him. "That's a weird compliment but I'll accept it."

"You better, cause you kinda don't deserve any."

Even though not all words had been spoken between them, Jongin could feel the tenseness fall off their shoulders. They would probably take another talk, maybe several more, but for now, he was starting to feel lighter. Sehun seemed to think the same, because when he held up the brown paper bag he’d brought with him, he looked like he’d regained some of his confidence.

"Would a croissant and some coffee make it better?"

"Maybe." Jongin eyed the bag with interest. Just in time, his stomach let out a loud growl that didn’t leave much room for interpretation. His cheeks reddened.

"So you accept my apology?" Sehun asked, jiggling the bag in his hands. The sounds of the coffee inside sloshing around made Sehun stop, sending the bag an anxious glance. Jongin couldn’t help but grin.

"I'm not sure yet. But give me some of that coffee. It's gonna be a long day.”

🏖🏖🏖

It ended up being a long day indeed. First, the group was headed towards the other small island Hamahigajima where they had a bit of time to themselves again. As if it was the most natural thing, Sehun decided to stick with Jongin the whole time. Jongin let him.

It almost felt as if their argument had brought them back to point zero. Although they both knew it wasn’t possible for them to forget the past, they’d agreed – while chomping down the croissants and fruits Sehun had brought for breakfast – that they should stop the hostilities, once and for all, and continue as friends. Neither of the two knew if it was going to work, but Jongin was already so drawn in again by how easy it was to spend time with Sehun that he couldn’t bring himself to consider all the things that could potentially go wrong.

After they spent some time walking around the small island, the group was back to heading to the Miyagijima where their program continued. The first stop on their exploration tour of the island was Kafu Banta, the Cape of Happiness. Due to Miyagi Island having a higher altitude than Okinawa Honto and the other islands, the Cape offered a wonderful view of the region. They could easily make out the colourful coral reefs in the crystal clear water, and they spent a good hour there, just looking and chomping away the snacks they’d bought from the vending machines that were so typical for Japan.

Sehun, Jongin learned, had just moved back to Seoul a few months back. Before that, he’d been travelling between China and South Korea on and off, his stays at an apartment which he’d never even fully furnished always limited. The jetsetter life hadn’t appealed to him though, so Sehun had decided to work for the Chinese branch of the company in Seoul which allowed him to stay in the capital besides a few flights to China whenever necessary. Before that, Sehun had lived in China for quite a long time, together with his ex-boyfriend. His name was Tao, Jongin learned, but that was about it. Sehun didn’t seem to want to share much more about him with Jongin, and he didn’t ask either.

In return, Jongin told Sehun more about his life after they’d parted ways. He talked about his struggles and successes, the hard road to the point where he was in life now. Sehun had been especially impressed when Jongin had rattled down the list of artists he’d worked with so far. 

“I can’t believe I never saw one of your performances on TV. I guess I work too much.” Sehun had said.

After their stop at the cape, the group moved on to a beach that was referred to as “Blue Tombs” by the locals. The beach had received its name from the old tomb located at a hill near the beach. They spent some time examining the site before they moved on to look at the close-by observatory before they spent the rest of the afternoon at the beautiful beach. 

As If it were the most natural thing, Jongin found himself dining with Sehun again. They’d decided to head to a small restaurant outside the hotel, mostly due to their embarrassment about their little performance the previous evening, but in the end, they were happy that they had found the little restaurant. Although it wasn’t anything fancy, the food tasted delicious and seemed a lot more authentic than what the hotel had had to offer. They ordered fish caught by the locals and tried traditional dishes, all the while chatting about this and that.

When Jongin fell into bed at night, he felt confused. He’d already turned off the lights when he reached for his phone to text Kyungsoo, his best friend.

_ [Jongin] I met Sehun today _

_ [Jongin] actually, I met him three days ago and we keep meeting _

Although his best friend wasn’t a big fan of communicating via phone, it only took about 5 minutes until he got a response.

_ [Kyungsoo] wait what _

_ [Kyungsoo] THE Sehun? The one I never met but who broke your heart so that you poured it out to me a billion times? _

_ [kyungsoo] how _

Kyungsoo and Jongin had met through friends. They’d immediately hit it off, and Jongin would’ve lied if he hadn’t had a tiny crush when he first met Kyungsoo, but he had quickly learned about the other’s long-term boyfriend named Chanyeol who was a large, dorky giant that seemed to be the complete opposite of the small, quiet Kyungsoo. After his crush had died down, they’d easily become close friends to the point where Jongin was able to talk to Kyungsoo about everything. That also included his past with Sehun, and while the other had never met him, Kyungsoo had heard quite a few stories about said man by now. Since Jongin had basically chewed his ears off by whining about Sehun, the other had developed a serious dislike for Sehun just from hearing about him.

_ [Jongin] yes, that Sehun... _

_ [Kyungsoo] Do I need to fly to Okinawa to punch him for you? I can take Chanyeol, he's taller but I still think I'm more intimidating _

_ [Kyungsoo] you still didn't answer how you met him _

_ [Jongin] he's on vacation here too _

_ [Jongin] it's kinda ironic _

_ [Jongin] he stays in the same hotel, booked the same three-day trip... it's like he planned all this _

It wasn’t like Jongin genuinely believed that this was a ploy from Sehun to talk to him. The other wasn’t that crazy, at least he thought he knew that much about him. Kyungsoo, however, wasn’t that sure yet.

_ [Kyungsoo] is he creepy enough to really have planned that? _

_ [Kyungsoo] cause if he is, I'll definitely come over and kick his ass _

With his 1.73m, Kyungsoo was roughly 10cm shorter than Jongin. However, if the two were to be put next to each other, everyone would choose Kyungsoo as the more intimidating one. The other was by no means particularly off-putting, in fact he was rather handsome, but there was just this vibe surrounding him that made it clear that he wasn’t one to fuck around with.

_ [Jongin] nah, I don't think so. It's weird but I don't think he stalked me and followed me to Okinawa _

_ [Kyungsoo] hm okay. Chanyeol says he thinks it's weird too _

As long as Jongin could remember, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were a unit. Albeit their differences -which were mostly on the superficial level – they were what Jongin would describe as ‘relationship goals’. Even when the two bickered, it was more adorable than anything else.

_ [Jongin] it IS weird _

_ [Jongin] wanna know what's even weirder? _

_ [Jongin] we kinda made up _

Kyungsoo was going to beat his ass in 3. 2. 1-

_ [Kyungsoo] made up or made out??? _

_ [kyungsoo] cause if that was a typo and you kissed that motherfucker I'll kick your ass right back to Korea _

As expected, Kyungsoo didn’t beat around the bush. While he would never admit it, he was rather protective of his friends and he was quick to tell Jongin if he thought that whatever he was up to was a bad idea. Sometimes, Jongin hadn’t liked that too much but all those times Jongin had been better off with Kyungsoo’s honest opinion.

This time, he doubted it was going to be any different.

[Jongin] no no. I mean we talked. And had dinner. And spent the whole day together. And had dinner again. And now I'm confused

As he typed, he could basically feel Kyungsoo’s headache building up already.

_ [Kyungsoo] so... you do wanna kiss him _

_ [Kyungsoo] wait, I'll call you. This is too important for texting. _

Sure enough, five seconds later Jongin’s phone was ringing with an incoming call from Kyungsoo. Before he could even say anything after picking up, Kyungsoo was talking already.

"You're a dumbass. You won't really let him woo you the instant you meet him again, will you?"

"First of all hi, yes, it's nice to hear your voice again too..." Jongin wasn’t really offended, but sometimes he liked to pretend. "And no, I'm not- I mean-" Again, Jongin was cut off.

"Is he hot?" Chanyeol's voice chimed through the speakers. "I mean, hotter than when you last saw him?"

It didn’t surprise him in the slightest that apparently, Kyungsoo’s phone was on speaker. Chanyeol was one of his close friends too, so it didn’t bother him if he sat through Kyungsoo’s advice session with them.

"Yes." It was useless to lie now. Kyungsoo would know, and Chanyeol wouldn’t let him live it down. So, it was the only logical thing to do when he admitted that Sehun was indeed, as he put it, hot.

Back in Seoul, Chanyeol snorted. "Case closed, he wants to bang him."

"Chanyeol!" Jongin whined, letting himself fall back into the sheets to stare at the white ceiling of his hotel room.

There was some shuffling on the other side of the speaker, Jongin assumed that Kyungsoo had sat down next to Chanyeol. He’d heard some rattling from the kitchen earlier when Chanyeol had talked. 

"He's right though." As expected, Kyungsoo was back to responding. "Are you out of your mind? For years, you complained about what a dick he was for dumping you like that. And now you're just gonna go back to square one?"

Jongin winced. If Kyungsoo put it that way, it sounded way too reasonable. He didn’t like that at all.

"I don't know. That's why I'm calling. I'm at a loss. It feels good to talk to him. It feels natural. But at the same time, I keep remembering everything that happened."

"Well, that's your brain intervening when your dick takes over." Kyungsoo’s words were underlined by a deep chuckle from Chanyeol.

"But he's so nice, Kyungsoo. Everything that I liked about him is still there. And it seems like he only got more attractive. It's unfair."

Jongin knew he was swooning. He felt stupid, but if he was honest, the feelings for Sehun had never fully vanished. Otherwise, he surely would have been able to let go earlier instead of longing to find out the reason why he’d been dumped for years. Who was he to blame though, Sehun was a catch. It wasn’t like he was going to jump into bed with him right away, anyway. It was just better to not fight… right?

"To be honest, it sounds like you already fell for him. You're a lost cause, Jongin." Kyungsoo didn’t sound reproachful, but it still didn’t feel any better when Jongin realized that yes, maybe Kyungsoo had a point.

"Maybe I am."

A sigh could be heard from the other end of the line. Foreign voices flared up. Chanyeol had turned on the TV. "Don't get hurt again, okay?" Kyungsoo had switched off speaker mode, the phone back to his ear. "I would say I won't be there when he dumps you again, but you know I'll always be there."

That was something Jongin had already known, but it still felt good to hear it again. Sometimes, he just needed that.

"I know. I'll be careful. I need to sort through some thoughts. Thank you for listening."

"You're welcome."

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything?"

Kyungsoo snorted. "No, it's fine, Chanyeol was talking about this Zootopia conspiracy video he watched earlier so I turned out and saw your message. If anything, you saved my evening and Chanyeol's chances on sex."

"Hey!" Chanyeol’s voice could be heard from next to Kyungsoo, and Jongin could vividly picture the pout on the man’s face.

"Love you too, babe." Came Kyungsoo’s instant response before he turned back to focus on Jongin.

"Either way, I meant what I said. I'll be here for you, even if you make a dumb decision."

Making a dumb decision hadn’t been on his list of things to do during this vacation. Somehow, Jongin couldn’t promise that list of things had undergone some major changes.

"Thank you, Soo." He smiled. "I'll try not to, but I can't promise anything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of the chapter? Also yay to side chansoo, i love them together! I would love it if you left Kudos and comments to let me know your thoughts! <3 Thank you for reading!
> 
> As always, you can find a moodboard [here](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper/status/1162327548891717632)!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back after the weekend, and I hope you'll like chapter 5! I read all your comments about how upset you are with Sehun and it's really interesting. Either way, I hope you'll like the rest of the story <3

Jongin didn’t question it when Sehun settled beside him for breakfast the next morning. He also didn’t question it when the other naturally tagged along when Jongin decided to head out with a part of the group – their tourist group was split up for the last day, one half heading to a small village, the other to another beach – to a wonderful beach. Although it was so stunning, the beach turned out to not even be that crowded.

When they arrived there, it didn’t take much persuading from Sehun to try out SUP, short for stand-up paddling. The boards were pretty big, bigger than Jongin had imagined, and the paddle first felt foreign in his palm. The short instruction only showed them the basics of how to handle the paddle and the board, so about 10 minutes later they were on their way, bringing more and more distance between them and the coast as they paddled alongside each other.

It wasn’t particularly windy that day, the waves were almost non-existent. Still, Jongin felt a little shaky when he tried to stand up on the board. The first few minutes, they’d paddled while kneeling and when Sehun had attempted to get up, the other had almost tumbled from the board.

However, in just two minutes, both had managed to stand up, sharing a triumphant grin.

They spent the hour they’d rented the boards paddling around, exploring the lagoon. Sehun had produced a water-proof action cam out of seemingly nowhere and proceeded to take candid shots of Jongin as he struggled to keep his balance when a few waves came up. They even managed to take a few pictures together when Sehun took them selfie-style, Jongin waving from where he stood on his board behind him.

Like that, time flew way too fast for Jongin to realize how familiar things felt again already.

🏖🏖🏖

The bus trip back wasn’t boring at all. With Sehun next to him, they scrolled through pictures and videos Sehun had taken while they’d been out with the SUPs, and they giggled when Sehun zoomed in on Jongin’s spooked expression on some of the pictures where he’d almost lost balance.

When they arrived at the hotel again, Sehun declared that he was going to take a nap, and Jongin decided that it was a good idea.

Earlier in the bus, they’d exchanged phone numbers. It had felt weird to have Sehun’s contact saved in his phone again after so many years after having deleted it, but when Jongin received countless Kakao Talk messages with pictures from their SUP adventure attached, all bad thoughts vanished and a smile bloomed on Jongin’s face as he scrolled through them.

🏖🏖🏖

They spent the rest of the day at the pooll, too lazy to do much else. Sehun had texted if Jongin wanted to join, and since he hadn’t had any other plans – and also cause he kind of really wanted to – he quickly agreed and they met downstairs. At night, they sat down at the large buffet together and Jongin watched as Sehun stuffed himself with all kinds of seafood and sweets afterwards, wondering how the other still managed to look so lean while eating so much even after all these years.

When Jongin texted Kyungsoo that night, he already knew he was in too deep.

_ [Jongin] What do you do when you fall for someone that already broke your heart once? _

  
  


Jongin wasn’t the type of person to enjoy planning his vacation beforehand. He was more the type to head there, maybe read up a few sights while he was waiting to board the plane and then just see what he could do whenever he’d arrived at the place.

Apparently, that hadn’t been the smartest approach this time around.

Early in the morning the next day, Jongin was headed out to pick up his car. He’d already texted Sehun that he wasn’t going to have breakfast with him since he’d made the appointment to pick up the car way too early, but the other hadn’t read his message yet.

At first, everything went off without a hitch. Jongin found the car rental, which was only a 20 minute walk from the hotel, without any qualms and due to the time, there weren’t that many other customers just yet. It only took a few minutes until he was the next in line.

The realization that he’d majorly fucked up only came when the employee asked for Jongin’s international driver’s license. Apparently, to drive in Japan, the license was required. Guess who hadn’t known about that although it was even printed in the conditions Jongin had to agree too? Exactly, Jongin.

His mood had exponentially fallen with every word that the employee spoke. By the end of the talk, Jongin had gathered as much that he could at least cancel the reservation, however, he wouldn’t be able to drive at all. That made everything that he hadn’t even planned yet sound even more complicated.

Feeling discouraged, Jongin made his way towards the exit after cancelling the contract for good. Too lost in his own, sulky thoughts, he didn’t notice the person that was about to enter the car rental the moment Jongin walked through the door too. It came as it had to, and they bumped together.

Immediately, Jongin started apologizing profusely while wondering how much worse his day could get when it wasn’t even 9am yet, when he realized that he recognized the voice of the man that kept saying “It’s fine, I’m sorry too!”

“Sehun?”

“Jongin?”

Running a hand through his hair, Jongin spotted a sheepish looking Sehun in front of him, looking a little ruffled. “I was lost in thought, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I just saw your text message but I was running late so I didn’t reply yet… Did you rent a car too?”

Jongin huffed. “Well, I tried. Apparently, I’m too dumb to even do that.”

That didn’t really help to lift Sehun’s confusion. “Oh? How so?”

“Apparently, you need an international driver’s license. Guess who hasn’t got one.”

“You?”

“Ding ding ding, the winner just won one million Won!” Jongin replied dryly.

“Wow… That sucks. So you won’t be able to drive around at all?” Sehun looked genuinely sorry for him.

“Nope.” Jongin popped the p. Just hearing Sehun voicing it out made him feel even more annoyed and that wasn’t even Sehun’s fault.

For a second, the other stayed quiet. Then, the look in his eyes changed to something Jongin couldn’t quite interpret.

“You know… if you’d like, we could share a car. I could drive and we could just drive around the island together. I can also drop you off at places if you’d prefer to do stuff on your own.” Sehun suddenly suggested.

Jongin’s eyes grew wide. “You’d do that?”

“Why not. Let me pick up the car real quick and then we can talk about it?” He offered. “I really wouldn’t mind spending more time with you and also, it’s a lot more fun to explore new places with someone else instead of going alone. You probably also know about cool places we could go to that I didn’t even consider yet, so that’s a plus.”

“Ah…” Jongin felt sweat break out. “I planned a lot, yes…” He’d never been particularly great at lying but Sehun seemed to buy it. “I had so many plans…”

“Well! It’s a deal then! If you’d like to wait, I doubt it’ll take very long and then we can head to our first destination? I had something in mind but since you planned so much already, you can decide what we’ll do today! I’ll be back.”

Well, Jongin thought as he watched Sehun head towards the counter, I guess it’s about time to ‘Hey Google’ the hell out of the sightseeing results for Okinawa.

🏖🏖🏖

One of the first things that had come up on Jongin’s impromptu Google search had been the Southeast Botanical Garden. Upon hearing it, Sehun had instantly agreed and beamed while explaining that this had been of his list of things to do as well. It would have been an understatement to say that Jongin had felt just a little smug about that.

Like this, they spent the first half of the day walking around the botanical garden, exploring the large park and looking at exotic flowers. It was a relaxing activity, and they easily chatted as they walked the different routes through the large area. After they’d had enough from looking at pretty plants, they decided to grab some quick lunch in the form of street food before they headed back to the hotel to spend the rest of the day at the beach belonging to the hotel. They’d both quickly agreed that they needed some rest between activities, after all they needed a break from their usually hectic schedule, so taking it slow in terms of activities had seemed just right for both of them.

Concerning their feelings towards each other, Jongin kind of doubted that the taking it slow method was working. Just a few days ago, he would have thought it to be impossible, but now, he kept catching himself staring at Sehun and thinking about how kissable his lips looked. It really wasn’t fair, he decided, how hard the other was making this for him.

Sehun, on the other hand, didn’t seem uninterested either. He was pretty sure he wasn’t imagining things when he caught the other sending glances at him from the corner of his eye, and he was also very aware of the many compliments Sehun gave him during the time spent together.

Jongin wasn’t blind.

Whatever this thing between them was, it was progressing fast, and although he wasn’t sure if he was ready for it yet, he also didn’t feel like putting a stop to it either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of the chapter? Do you like the developments? Many of you said things were going to fast, did your mind change or do you still think the same way? Let me know! As always, you can find a moodboard here!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! The chapter is a day late, but I'm on vacation rn and have barely any internet so I have to go to public places to post. Rn, I'm posting from my phone too! 
> 
> Special thanks again to my amazing beta reader Chris, you're so stressed and you still do everything to help me 😭♥️

For the next few days, the two spent every waking second with each other.

On day seven of their vacation, it was Sehun who suggested going to the Okinawa-Churaumi Aquarium in Motobu. It wasn’t too far from their hotel, but Jongin had quickly learned that no matter how long the ride was, with Sehun it never got boring anyway.

The thing that surprised them the most upon getting out of the car was the sheer size of the Aquarium. Entering the building, they realized that they had actually stepped foot into the second highest of 4 levels already so that visitors had to descend to the lower levels instead of going up if they wanted to see the deep sea aquariums.

The first level they explored was the so-called Coral Lobby, or in short, level 3F. When their eyes fell on the large Coral Sea tank which was open at the top, Jongin couldn’t help but think of how cute Sehun was when the other started babbling about some facts he’d read up on coral reefs on Wikipedia the previous night. Like this, Sehun quickly decided that he was their personal guide for their walk through the aquarium, adding information here and there when he remembered something from the things he’d read beforehand. The basin with tropical fish that lived in the Okinawan sea was among the things that really interested them, so they stuck around a little while Sehun monologued whether they should do a diving experience so they could see the fish in nature or not.

After finishing their walk through the third floor, they descended to level 2 where they took a look at the Shark Research Lab, as it was called. However, what really caught their attention on this floor was the giant 7,500 cubic metre tank and they stopped for a while and sat down to watch a school of whale sharks and manta rays glide through the water. The special thing about the Aquarium, however, was the way it allowed the visitors to see the fish from different angles. Not only could they look at them from the ceiling in the so-called Aqua Room, they also were able to walk above the actual tank in a connection of metal bridges. Secretly, Jongin thanked Sehun for suggesting this attraction because on his own, he might have not visited the Aquarium. As they stood and watched the whale sharks and Sehun rambled about how one of his friends – Junmyeon hyung as he’d mentioned – had once compared his intelligence to that of a Beluga whale, Jongin realized that maybe, just maybe believed in fate just a little bit.

Because how on earth could he have ended up next to Sehun after 5 years of nothingness between them only to have the other citing Wikipedia articles about sea mammals and molluscs without anything out there having wanted this to happen.

It took them a few more hours to explore the remaining two floors. By the time they were done, Jongin felt pretty exhausted, but after a quick snack – sea food of course – they both were filled with renewed energy so they decided to explore the nearby city a little until it got dark. It was 9 already when they arrived back at the hotel, and close to midnight when they’d finished a drawn-out dinner.

The next two days continued in a similar fashion. Sehun had quickly realized that Jongin didn’t actually have a clue what they could do sightseeing-wise, but he didn’t mind taking over the planning at all. Together, they ended up visiting a pineapple farm, did a diving experience – Sehun had been so in awe from the fish at the aquarium that he just had to – and also ticked off several historical sights off their list, including Shurijo Castle, and the Okinawa Sensei Quasi National Park. They explored the city of Naha, walked around lonely beaches and in the evening of day eight of their vacation, they even ended up having a picnic at the beach and watched the sun go down as they listened to a Spotify playlist while drinking way too expensive wine that Sehun had bought.

And although they both knew it, none of the two dared to admit that all of this felt very much like a romantic date.

🏖🏖🏖

On day nine, they were headed to Gyokusendo. The constant temperature of 21 degree Celsius was a welcome change from the August heat and burning sun that they were graced with on a daily basis. The cave that stretched beneath the earth’s surface with about 5km length was approximately 300 00 years old, as Sehun proudly informed Jongin, once again relying on his carefully researched sightseeing facts. 

Although the cave was incredibly large, the public was only allowed on a path that was 890m long, leading them deeper into the cave via a steel stairway. With every twist and turn they took, the two were awed by the beautiful formations nature had created over the course of thousands of centuries. Jongin broke out into a full laughing fit when a drop of water – there were constant sounds of dripping in the cave from droplets falling from the ceiling – landed directly on Sehun’s nose when the other was about to tell him another interesting historical fact yet again.

The naturally monumental atmosphere of the cave was underlined by carefully placed lights in various colours. Some of them even moved, creating a wonderful play of lights and reflections.

What wowed them the most were the beautifully lit pools interrupting the stony scenery, the turquoise lights beneath the water tinting the cave room in a mystical sheen of colour. They stopped for a while, just listening to the constant sound of drops falling from the ceiling, hitting the surface of the water, sending ripples through the otherwise still surface. When they turned around to continue their walk, their fingers brushed together. Jongin wasn’t entirely sure if it was only accidental.

🏖🏖🏖

After the cave, the two headed to the nearby Valley of Gangala, another limestone cave they wanted to explore. While giggling and calling themselves ‘cavemen’, they walked towards their second destination of the day. When they entered the valley, they toned down their shenanigans though since Sehun had informed Jongin that the place had become a more and more spiritual place in the past few years. While the caves were still undergoing excavations, they were able to explore some of the parts that were exposed to the public already. Surrounded by the green Japanese jungle, the further they walked, the more enamoured they became with the place. They took a break in the Cave café, where most tours departed. As they sipped their coffees and examined the beautiful stone formations around them, they considered taking part in a tour themselves but ended up deciding against it. Instead, they spent some more time at the café while Jongin listened to Sehun telling him about how human artefacts like tools and bones dating back 2 million years were found in this exact cave they were currently having coffee in. Apparently, that those were the earliest finds from that era in Japan. After their short coffee break, they headed towards the Banyan next. It was said to be a sacred tree with the proud age of 150 years. They spent some time guessing the height of the incredibly large tree before they made their way back to the car.

🏖🏖🏖

Back at the hotel, they realized that a special event had to be going on that night. Around the pool, a stage had been built up and when they headed inside, Sehun spotted a poster that read

_ NA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort PARTY NIGHT _

_ JOIN US FOR OUR NIGHT FULL OF DANCING, KARAOKE AND MORE _

_ Location: BEACH BAR/POOL _

_ Start: 8pm _

Jongin didn’t need much convincing from Sehun to agree that they could at least check it out so at 9pm, they’d wanted to have a calm dinner first and get changed, they met each other in front of the entrance to the outdoor pool.

“Ready to party?” Sehun asked with a grin. He’d styled his hair back a little, the deep black strands pushed out of his face in a way that accentuated his sharp features even more. The crisp white shirt and dress pants he was wearing looked expensive, and suddenly Jongin’s swimming trunks and the black T-Shirt made him feel like a 7-year-old. Pool party, the sign had read, he reminded himself. If Sehun noticed the pout on his face, he didn’t comment on it.

For the first two hours, the microphone was open for anyone that wanted to belt out their favourite song to a crowd of tourists that were on a good way to getting intoxicated, considering their all-inclusive wristbands allowing them to order drink after drink. 

Jongin and Sehun had started out with red wine but after a glass, they’d quickly moved on with cocktails. “Sex on the beach”, Sehun had ordered and then had proceeded to giggle at Jongin’s pronunciation of “Long Island Iced Tea”.

“You know there’s a lot of alcohol in that, right?” Sehun asked, sipping on his own, colourful drink. It was their first cocktail and he wasn’t planning on getting drunk, but feeling just a little tipsy was what he was aiming for.

“I know.” Jongin nodded, taking a large sip from his glass. “If I really want to sing karaoke, I can’t be sober for that.”

They ended up choosing each other’s songs. On his own, Jongin was positive he’d never participated in Karaoke at all. But as he watched Sehun trying to belt out the Japanese words of a Mr. Taxi by Girls Generation, he decided that it had definitely been worth it.

As revenge, Sehun made Jongin sing one of the Naruto openings and when Jongin came back to their spot at the bar, Sehun held up his phone triumphantly to signal him that he’d recorded the whole disaster.

After they’d finished their drinks, they decided to dance. Karaoke had been replaced by a DJ that was now blasting the latest hits, both international and Japanese.

It had been forever since Jongin had danced with somebody else. It had been a few months since he’d last gone out to club. Usually, he spent his weekends either in the dance studio, at home or rarely, having dinner with friends. Going out wasn’t really his thing, and it had been a few months since his last hook-up at a club. 

Yet, it didn’t feel weird or foreign at all when Sehun’s arms naturally wrapped themselves around his waist, pulling him in closer. It didn’t feel off when he closed the distance between them, taking a step towards Sehun. It also didn’t feel uncomfortable when Sehun rested his chin on Jongin’s shoulder when the song changed to a much slower one. 

They swayed together in the mass of people, but in that moment, it felt like they were the only ones.

Jongin didn’t stop Sehun’s hand from slipping a little lower when the music started becoming a little more upbeat again. He also didn’t stop when they pressed their bodies together.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed or how long they’d been dancing already. It could have been a few minutes, but also a few hours. With Sehun, time equally seemed to stand still and go by too fast at the same time.

Suddenly, their faces were only mere millimetres apart. Jongin’s breath got caught in his throat when their eyes met. The look in Sehun’s eyes was so intense, so open – and Jongin knew there was nothing left of the hostility he’d originally felt towards Sehun anymore.

Sehun’s lips were moving, but Jongin didn’t register what he was saying. There was nothing but a millimetre separating them from kissing.

The music changed, and Jongin turned his head, resting it on Sehun’s shoulder instead. His cheeks were burning up, and suddenly, Jongin felt the need to down an entire bottle of water, but he didn’t want to let go of Sehun either.

The moment had gone as quick as it had come, and neither of the two commented on it. They continued to dance until the crowd around them began to thin out and they were starting to feel the beginning ache in their limbs. 

They were the only ones in the elevator by the time they headed back to their rooms. When the elevator stopped on Sehun’s floor, Sehun didn’t get out immediately, instead stopping in the door so that it wouldn’t close just yet.

"It was a wonderful evening tonight." His eyes were fixated on Jongin, still warm and inviting. But there was something else in them now, something that Jongin hadn’t allowed himself to see just yet-

"Yeah, it really was..." He agreed, sending Sehun a smile. The floor behind Sehun was empty, most of the people fast asleep already.

"I enjoy spending time with you. It's almost like how it used to be, isn't it? But at the same time, it feels more mature." Sehun’s voice was low, but determined. "It feels natural to be around you, I didn't think I'd-" He broke off as if he was looking to find the right words. He didn’t need to though. Jongin knew what he was trying to say.

"I know exactly what you feel like."

"Yes?"

"Yeah."

"I see." Sehun swallowed, taking a step towards Jongin again, on arm still guarding the door. For the first time in a few days, there was uncertainty in his voice. "Would you... Like to come to my room with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will insert the link to the moodboard for the chapter later on, for the time being you can follow me on Twitter if you want to see the moodboard for this chapter ♥️ my twitter is @SehunSemper
> 
> I would love to hear your thoughts on the chapter! ♥️


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay, guys! Here is chapter 7, I hope you'll enjoy it!

"Would you... Like to come to my room with me? We could have some more wine and..."

From somewhere behind Sehun, Jongin could hear laughter coming from one of the rooms. His thoughts were racing.

Sehun’s words sounded unnaturally loud in the empty hallway. They stood between them, demanding an answer that Jongin wasn’t sure he could find.

"Thank you, Sehun. It was a wonderful night but..." he started but trailed off.

It was all Sehun had to hear though.

"It's okay, Jongin. You don't have to say anything." The other quickly nodded. Jongin wasn’t sure if he could see disappointment flicker in his eyes for a second, but when Sehun sent him another smile, theall of that fleeting expression was gone. "I understand." Sehun murmured, and Jongin realized that Sehun really did understand.

"Good night, Sehun." He smiled.

"Good night, Nini."

Before he realized what was happening, Sehun had stepped close to him to press a quick kiss to his cheek. When the elevator doors closed behind him, Jongin could still smell the faint traces of Sehun’s perfume in the air.

🏖🏖🏖

The next morning Sehun wasn’t at breakfast. Normally, they met downstairs at the large buffet to have breakfast together before they were headed for their daily trips through Okinawa. For the day, they’d planned to visit Naminoueugu Shrine and Fukushuen Garden. If it was still early after that, they’d considered heading to the beach. However, now that Sehun wasn’t there for breakfast like he usually was, Jongin wondered if their plans for the day were still on.

Last night, he’d laid in bed, wondering if he’d made the right decision. When Sehun had asked him, he’d realized right after he’d said no that he’d wanted to say yes, but then it had been too late to take it back. Also, it had brought some relief too. Jongin had known there was a certain kind of tension, the tension that Jongin knew from when they’d still been in love and wanted to undress each other 9 out of 10 times they saw each other. Yet, the question had surprised him, and when Jongin had fallen asleep, he knew that maybe saying no hadn’t been so bad after all.

🏖🏖🏖

When he’d woken up that morning, he already knew that they would have to talk about it. Maybe it was a conversation that was long overdue, maybe it had become necessary after their almost kiss last night, Jongin couldn’t really tell. All he knew was that they had to talk, so when he didn’t spot Sehun at their usual meeting spot for breakfast, he didn’t hesitate to head to his room instead.

As he walked down the long hallway on the fifth floor, Jongin felt anxious. Maybe he should have texted Kyungsoo, should’ve asked him for advice, but in the end, he already knew that whatever he had to say had to come from his heart anyway.

There were no noises coming from Sehun’s room. No TV, no music, no nothing. Maybe he just hadn’t seen him? Maybe he’d mixed up a time and Sehun had told him a different, later time due to their long night partying at the beach bar?

In the end, none of the doubts could give him a definite answer, so Jongin knocked.

For a few seconds, nothing happened behind the door. Then he heard footsteps, and the door swung open.

In front of him, Sehun stood, only a towel wrapped around his waist. It reminded him awfully much of the time Sehun had knocked on his door with breakfast to apologize. Only this time, the tables had turned.

Yet, Jongin wasn’t here to apologize.

"Hey." Sehun greeted him. At least he had the audacity to look a little sheepish opening the door with just that towel around his waist, because once again, Jongin had a hard time keeping his eyes at eye-level.

"Hi." Jongin was able to stop himself from looking too flustered. "You weren't at breakfast."

The words weren’t meant to be an accusation, but somehow, they still came out like one.

"Ah... Yeah I overslept. I guess I drank too much last night after all." Sehun looked sorry immediately. Jongin couldn’t be mad at him in all his glory with wet hair and exposed chest anyway. Still, he wasn’t buying Sehun’s excuse. He knew that his lack of presence during breakfast had to have a different reason.

"You drank a glass of wine and two cocktails. Your tolerance isn't that bad." Jongin deadpanned.

Again, Sehun at least looked a little bad about being caught lying. "You know me too well." He sighed, meeting Jongin’s eyes properly for the first time that day. "I'm sorry, I meant to text you that I'd come a little later. I just came out of the shower though."

"I noticed." Jongin eyed him up and down. He wasn’t sure if Sehun looked flushed from him checking him out or because of his previous shower.

"Look, if this is about last night-" Jongin started. He didn’t want to make Sehun feel uncomfortable, he just wanted to have an honest talk with him. They definitely needed it. When Sehun interrupted him though, he realized that maybe this was going to be harder than he’d anticipated.

"It's okay Jongin, I understand. I went too far, it's-"

This time it was Jongin who interrupted Sehun. "No. Listen for a second." He shook his head. "You didn't go too far. I know I broke the moment when we were about to kiss and I know I said no when you asked to say the night. It's not because I don't want to though. Just give me some time."

"Time?" The look in Sehun’s eyes made him look so young. Jongin wasn’t sure if it was because he could see the vulnerability in his eyes, but it reminded him of how Sehun used to look when they first started dating. So sweet, so innocent.

"Yeah, time." Jongin repeated. "We just met again and I used to be so angry but now everything is different and I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it. However, that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying it. Just give me some time."

Sehun’s eyebrows furrowed. He was thinking. It took exactly three seconds until he broke out into a bright smile.

"We can take it slow." He nodded, saying the words more to himself than to Jongin. It was adorable to watch. "Slow sounds good- perfect!"

Somehow, Sehun’s behaviour made him feel all warm inside. "You're a dumbass." Jongin muttered, trying not to give away how enamoured he really was.

"And you're handsome."

As if nothing happened, Sehun had switched right back into his flirt mode. This was what he seemed to be most comfortable with for now, easy-going and light-hearted. Jongin didn’t mind at all.

"Shut up."

"If you wait for a few, we could head to breakfast again together? We have a day full of plans ahead of us."

All the places they wanted to visit came flashing back into Jongin’s mind. Sehun was right, they had a full day ahead. "I was hoping for you to say that." He grinned.

🏖🏖🏖

It didn’t take long for Sehun to get dressed and ready for breakfast. The whole time, Jongin waited in his bedroom, chilling on his bed while soaking in the scent that was so purely Sehun. He almost felt tempted to ask for one of his jackets just to carry it around with him, but since the temperatures were bordering on 30 degree Celsius that day, it would come off more creepy or stupid than anything.

Once again, the car ride with Sehun was more than comfortable. Jongin had connected his phone to the stereo the first time they’d driven together already, and ever since then they’d been jamming to whatever music he chose. Sehun hadn’t complained about his choice of music once.

They arrived at the Naminouegu Shrine first. It hadn’t been on Sehun’s original list of sights to visit, much to Jongin’s surprise. It was one of the few places he’d added to their list of Sehun’s well-researched holiday plans, and the beautiful shrine located at the top of a buff with Naminoue Beach underneath was something they didn't want to miss out on. That location had also been the key reason for the shrine’s name which meant “above the waves shrine” as Sehun had proudly presented to Jongin.

The original building had been destroyed in 1945 during the war. Only the torii gate remained, the rest of the sacred space being rebuilt during the 50s and 60s and again in 1993. Due to that, many of the original features from Ryukyu were only partly visible. Still, both men were awed by the beautiful shrine and ended up speaking a few prayers on their own.

“What did you pray for?” Sehun asked. Jongin had kept his eyes closed, so he hadn’t noticed Sehun watching him from the side.

A small smile spread on his lips. “That’s a secret.”

Sehun didn’t have to know that the only thing Jongin had asked for was that this holiday could last forever.

🏖🏖🏖

They couldn’t decide on weather to head to the beach beneath the shrine or Fukushuen Garden first. After a short discussion, they settled on the garden first so they could return to the beach in the evening to have a small picnic again, much like the one they had a few days. The drive wasn’t too long and the walk around the garden in downtown Naha was calming. Jongin listened as Sehun read out an article about the gardens history to him as they walked around the large lake filled with koi carp and turtles. Built in a typically and authentic walled Chinese garden, Sehun informed Jongin about how it had been constructed as a means of symbolizing friendship and trade as well as cultural links between China and Japan. Whenever Sehun read out a Chinese word with proper pronunciation, Jongin couldn’t help but mentally drool about how hot it sounded. Someday, he had to make Sehun read out a full text in Chinese. He was pretty sure it would sound even better.

Together, they explored the two pagodas and the typical Chinese keyhole gates. Jongin took a picture of Sehun next to the statue of the Chinese pot Li Bai, before they continued their walk through the garden filled with pretty pavilions and bridges.

Afterwards, they ended up in a small 7-Eleven in Naha. Filling their shopping basket with wine and snacks, they ended up buying a lot more than they could eat during their planned picnic at the beach. A few days ago, they’d already purchased a blanket to sit on, so when they arrived at the beach again, the Naminoueugu Shrine majestically towering above them.

With Sehun, it was easy to pass the time. This time during the year, the sun rose and set early, and when the clock hat hit 7.30pm it was starting to get dark already. Jongin hadn’t noticed how late it had gotten, he hadn’t noticed the sun slowly setting, too focused on whatever he’d been talking about with Sehun.

Their findings from the 7-Eleven in Naha were spread between them, expensive wine filled in cheap plastic cups. A bag of sweets, ripped open with a few having spilled on the blanket laid between them. Sehun still had a sweet-tooth, Jongin had noticed, and he realized that even after all this time, some things hadn’t changed at all.

If there was something that Jongin had learned during that vacation, it wasn’t that Okinawa was a beautiful island, it wasn’t the fact that he needed an international driver’s license to drive and it also wasn’t something as trivial as the knowledge about a 300 000 year old cave. No, what Jongin had really learned was that no matter how much time had passed, whenever you met someone again you loved, reconnecting was never hard. With strangers, it was hard to even find one topic to chat about. But if it was someone that meant something to you, it would always be easy. There was nothing needed to fill the space between them, because everything seemed to fall into place on its own. If Jongin had learned one thing during this vacation, it was that reconnecting with Sehun had been as easy as breathing.

He realized that as he looked at the other, his face tinted in the colours of the sinking sun. Orange and pink hues filled the sky above them, and when Sehun paused to smile while he was still telling Jongin a story from his workplace, Jongin couldn’t stop himself any longer.

He saw the surprise flare up in Sehun’s eyes for a second, but then he was too close. When their lips touched, it felt like entering a new world and coming home at the same time. And maybe, Jongin thought as their lips moved together, slowly, exploringly, he had to leave his house in Seoul first to find the place, or rather person, where he really could feel at home.

🏖🏖🏖

They’d spent an hour more at the beach, kissing and cuddling and holding hands like two teenagers who’d experienced the feeling of love for the first time, until the mosquitos had become too annoying. In the car on the drive back, Jongin kept his hand on Sehun’s thigh the whole time as they listened to one of his Spotify playlists again, humming along under their breaths and sharing quick, enamoured glances.

When it was time for Sehun to leave the elevator to get off at his floor, Jongin held him back.

This morning, he’d been so adamant on taking it slow. But now, when he looked at Sehun's beautiful face and even more beautiful smile, he decided that maybe taking it slow wasn't for him after all. Why take it slow if the fast way could take him to where he wanted to be so much quicker?

"Hey Sehun. Can I stay the night?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I'm still on vacation I'll link the moodboard here later. You can find it on my Twitter @SehunSemper for now! Let me know what you thought of the chapter! 💕


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter is up, enjoy!

Sun filtered through the half-drawn curtains. A fresh breeze, carrying the faint smell of the ocean, filled their nostrils as they stirred awake. Naked limbs were tangled in crisp white sheets, sweaty from exertion and the heat of a new summer day in sunny Okinawa.

Last night, Sehun had pulled Jongin in for a kiss righter after the words had left his lips.  _ “Can I stay the night?”  _ He’d asked, his lips still tingling when Sehun had pulled away. He barely remembered the walk to Sehun’s room, the shedding of their clothes. All that he remembered, everything that was imprinted in his mind was purely  _ Sehun _ .

They’d fallen asleep, sweaty but sated, and when they’d woken up, they’d gone for a second round until the combined heat of the new day and their entangled bodies had become too much. In the following shared shower, they continued to explore each other because although they’d been together for years, it had been ages and time had changed them, as stereotypical as it sounded.

Some things hadn’t changed about Sehun had all. The mole on his neck, the softness of his skin and his inherent scent that Jongin had fallen in love with, the long legs and the slim waist, everything was still there. But there were also new things he learned about Sehun, the way he was more confident now, more willing to say and show what he wanted and liked. Confidence suited him, Jongin thought, and he tried to show him with actions rather than words how much he really liked it.

They ended up ordering room service, unwilling to leave the privacy of Sehun’s room just yet. After consuming the delicious breakfast, they stayed in bed until room service knocked. That was the moment where they decided that they didn’t want to waste their last few days in bed, although Jongin would beg to differ that they weren’t actually wasting time but using it rather wisely.

Sehun, however, was still very adamant on visiting all his planned sights. So, not much later they found themselves in the rented car, some American hip hop song blasting on full volume as they sped towards their destination for the day.

🏖🏖🏖

The ride that day was longer than the previous days. They’d decided to head to the northern end of Okinawa. It was an area they hadn’t explored much yet, and Sehun had insistent they’d go there no matter how long the drive was since he had wanted to have the  _ full touristic experience _ as he’d called it.

The Hedo Misaki, or Cape Hedo, was located north of Nago. The cape was the northernmost tip of the Japanese island. To get there, they drove along the western coast, Jongin staring out of the window with his fingers intertwined with Sehun’s, only letting go when the other had to change gears.

Once they arrived, they enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Cape Hedo. It was a place where they could see two oceans merge, the South China sea and the Pacific Ocean. They walked a trail, small statues and monuments lining their way. They stopped at one that resembled a bird and asked another tourist to take a picture of them together. When Jongin sent it to Kyungsoo, the other replied with a  _ “You're a hopeless case, Kim Jongin. But you look so happy, so I’m happy for you too. Take care”.  _ Jongin had grinned, and showed the message to Sehun who’d looked a little smug about it.

After they’d had enough from walking around the cape trail, they drove to the Kayauchi Banta viewpoint where they stayed for a while just to admire the view before their grumbling stomachs couldn’t be ignored any longer. They ended up having dinner at a restaurant, Sehun insisting to pay for their bill. On the way back, Jongin had a hard time keeping his hands off Sehun. When the elevator stopped on the 5 th floor of their hotel again, none of the two even thought about Jongin leaving for his own room.

🏖🏖🏖

None of the two had realized that their vacation was coming to an end already. When they woke up the following morning, it was Jongin who voiced out their shared thought.

“It’s the last full day for me here. Tomorrow, my plane is already leaving. You have another day, right?”

They’d talked about this days ago already. Sehun was leaving the island a day later than him, but until now, Jongin had pushed the thought that this vacation away whenever it had popped up in his mind. So far, he had been pretty successful in doing that but now that their parting was imminent, it was getting progressively harder.

“Yeah. My plane is leaving the day after tomorrow in the evening.” Sehun hummed, his fingers trailing through Jongin’s soft hair. They hadn’t made any plans for the day yet. It was their joker, as Sehun had liked to call it, the day they could fill with anything that they spontaneously wanted to do. If Jongin had a say in this, he wouldn’t mind laying in bed with Sehun all day. He doubted that the other could be convinced of that too though. He was just too much of an explorer for that.

“Hmm. I wish I could just take that plane too. The holidays went by way too quickly.”

As a response, Sehun only hummed. After a moment, he added, “Let’s not think about that just yet, okay? Let’s enjoy our time right here and right now.”

🏖🏖🏖

They ended up driving to Naha again to do some shopping. Jongin hadn’t bought any souvenirs yet and he’d remembered promising his niece and nephew to bring something nice for them and he wasn’t planning on disappointing them. That’s how he ended up spending the first half of the day strolling through the streets with Sehun on the hunt for suitable presents to give to his favourite kids on the whole planet.

When they’d found something, they both agreed that they were too lazy to do a trip to another sight after all the walking they’d done in the past few days. Instead, they headed back to the hotel to enjoy the perks of their all-inclusive life again.

Sipping on watermelon mojitos and bathing in the sun, they spent the rest of the day at the pool. It wasn’t a spectacular activity to fill Jongin’s last day with, but the fact that he got to spend it with Sehun made it worth more than any action-filled trips he could imagine.

For a change, they ended up sleeping in Jongin’s room for the night. Sehun watched as Jongin packed up his suitcase, joking around about hiding himself in his suitcase and just flying with him instead. When Jongin had half-seriously replied that he might freeze to death in the trunk of the plane, Sehun had just winked and explained that his thoughts of Jongin would surely keep him hot enough.

When they fell asleep that night, Jongin reminisced about the past few days. Even now, he couldn’t fathom the things that had happened seemingly by chance. He still didn’t understand how Sehun could have ended up taking the same flight, staying at the same hotel, booking the same trip, and ultimately, even renting a car at the same company – although a lot more successfully than Sehun – everything just seemed impossible and very much out of a movie script if he now thought about it again.

And maybe, Kim Jongin believed in fate now, only if it was just a little.

He still believed that everything that he’d achieved had come from hard work and not from chance. Yet, he couldn’t ignore that sometimes, life led you on unexpected paths. There wasn’t always a chance to influence the path you took, they depended on your environment, the people they surrounded you, the society you grew up in. With hard work, you could break sometimes break out of these confines, but sometimes, life happened unexpectedly, and there wasn’t much you could do.

Jongin still couldn’t quite grasp why or how all of this had happened, and if it really had been fate that had brought them together. All he knew was that whatever it was, he was thankful for it.

🏖🏖🏖

The next day was the day of his departure. Sehun had volunteered to take him to the airport bye car. Jongin had protested, but the other hadn’t accepted his attempts at explaining how he could just take the bus or a taxi instead.  _ “It’s self-indulgent, Jongin. I want to be able to spend as much time as possible with you from the time you still got left on this island, so taking you on the airport is kind of selfish of me anyways.” _ Sehun had explained, and Jongin hadn’t found it in himself to decline after that. Secretly, he was happy about it.

🏖🏖🏖 

They had to part at the security check. Although they’d tried to delay the point they had to part, it became inevitable when the handle on the clock kept moving mercilessly.

"Let's meet again in Seoul, okay? I want to ask you out on a proper date then." The queue was getting smaller and smaller. Soon, Sehun would have to step away so that Jongin could move on to get his suitcase and body checked.

"Don't you think we had proper dates already?" Jongin pouted, thinking of all the times they’d spent at beaches, cafes, in bed…

Sehun squeezed his hand softly. "Well, let me take you to a dinner with my parents then."

"You're making it sound like you're gonna ask for my hand."

At that, Sehun flushed. "Ah, maybe not that night, but in the future I surely will."

Now, Jongin could feel his face redden, too. "Such a charmer, Oh Sehun." He muttered. In front of them, a gap had opened up and Jongin realized that he was holding the line behind him back from progressing. Goodbyes were never easy, but Jongin was sure it had never been this hard for him.

"You like it though." Sehun grinned. He’d noticed the queue moving on too, and they both knew their time was running out.

"You're right, I do." Jongin smiled. "Wanna know what I like even more?"

"Mhm?"

"You."

When they kissed goodbye, Jongin wondered when he’d started to fall in love again with Oh Sehun. Maybe, he’d never really fallen out of it, he thought.

🏖🏖🏖

Kyungsoo picked him up at Incheon Airport. He’d already exchanged a few text messages with Sehun who’d demanded a message when Jongin had safely landed. After that, they’d just kind of continued texting. Sehun had already arrived back at the hotel and was having a drawn out lunch, judging by the pictures he sent on Kakao Talk.

_ [Sehun] Wish you were still here _

That was the last message he read before he fell into Kyungsoo’s arms as if he hadn’t seen his best friend for years although it hadn’t even been two weeks.

On the ride back, he told Kyungsoo about his trip. At some point, the other stopped the amount of times Jongin said Sehun, because every second sentence seemed to contain the other man’s name.

“So, are you two dating now?” Kyungsoo asked when Jongin paused after monologuing for roughly ten minutes, and Jongin had to take a sip from his water bottle.

“I think so.” He smiled, and when he voiced that out for the first time, a bubble of sheer happiness seemed to burst inside of him.

It was Jongin who picked Sehun up from the airport. Their hug and secretly shared kiss in the crowd in the meeting area made them feel like two starved men as if they hadn’t seen each the previous day.

When they stepped into Sehun’s apartment, Jongin didn’t have the time to admire the sleek interior until Sehun playfully dragged him into his bedroom. They didn’t leave it until the sun had already set.

🏖🏖🏖

Life began to go back to normal. Getting back to work, Jongin couldn’t remember feeling this relaxed in a long, long time. He wasn’t sure if it had to do with the vacation in general or with Sehun, it was probably a combination of both. Somehow, though, Jongin was pretty sure that Sehun played a bigger part in this.

While Jongin’s got back into his routines, there was also a major change in his life. The day Jongin had picked up Sehun from the airport, they had made official what had been certain for a few days already. Oh Sehun was now officially Kim Jongin’s boyfriend.

True to his word, Sehun took Jongin to dinner with his parents a week after they’d returned from Okinawa already. After the many years that had passed, they were still as happy and friendly as Jongin remembered and they welcomed him with open arms.

On the other side, Jongin’s mom had been a little sceptical at first. She’d known about the troubles of her sun after Sehun had broken up with him back then so she had been vary at first, but when Sehun surprised her with a large bouquet of flowers and his bright smile, she couldn’t help but fall for him too.

🏖🏖🏖

It was a warm day in Seoul. Jongin and Sehun were playing with Jongin’s nephew and niece on the playground. Half a year had passed since they’d gotten back together, and if Jongin had thought he’d been in love with Sehun all those years back, it was nothing compared to how he felt about him now.

Watching as Sehun sat in the sand box, building a sandcastle – or rather attempting to – with Raeon, a thought crossed Sehun’s mind.

“Hey Sehun.” He called out, waiting until Sehun had looked up to signal him that he was listening.

“Do you want to go on a vacation again? Let’s book one together this time.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To the prompter: I hope you are happy with the outcome of the fic. I was trying to incorporate all your wishes and did a lot of research for Okinawa. I personally have never been there but I hope it came off as authentic ♥️
> 
> To everyone else, I hope you enjoyed the story too! I'd appreciate it if you left me a comment with your thoughts about the fic! 💕 
> 
> The moodboard is up on twitter again but I'm still not back home from vacation so I'll fix that sometime next week. Until then, you can access it via @sehunsemper on twitter ✨

**Author's Note:**

> I would love it if you left Kudos and comments to let me know if you liked the first chapter! As always, you can find a moodboard [here](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper/status/1160893069274877952?s=19) Thank you for reading! <3


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